Whales and new documentary subjects for Sandbar Lecture Series

Whales

Thirty-five species of living cetacean (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) species have been documented in the waters off North Carolina, and Keith Rittmaster of Bonehenge Whale Center at the NC Maritime Museum in Beaufort knows something about all of them.

Through a 50-minute slide presentation with hands-on display items (bones, teeth, baleen, oil,) Rittmaster will give an overview of species he encounters through his work, and some of the conservation issues they face during the Sandbar Lecture at the Museum on May 13 at 5:30 p.m. Rittmaster will also introduce the recently completed Bonehenge Whale Center.

Rittmaster has worked as a marine mammal scientist on research projects in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, Cook Inlet Alaska, Gulf of Mexico, and northwest Atlantic Ocean. In 1985, he began a long-term photoidentification study of the bottlenose dolphins near Beaufort to investigate residency, migration, associations, reproduction, and mortality.

He also responds to reports of dead, dying, and entangled marine mammals as part of the NC Marine Mammal Stranding Network in the region, directed by his wife Vicky Thayer. Both are members of the Atlantic Large Whale Disentanglement Network and initiated the NC Monofilament Recovery and Recycling program to address the conservation issue of protected marine wildlife becoming entangled in discarded fishing line and nets.

They also study, prepare, and rearticulate cetacean skeletons for research, education, and display. He received a B.A. in Economics from Denison University and a Master’s in Environmental Management from Duke University.

OIB DocumentaryAndrew Spaugh is on a mission to tell the story of Ocean Isle Beach. During this Sandbar Lecture on May 20 at 5:30 p.m., Spaugh will talk about the process of filming the first ever Ocean Isle Beach documentary, “A Journey Through Time and Tide.” He will speak on who he has filmed along the way, the structure of the film and the ups and downs with scheduling. He will talk about some of the stories that have been shared with him and how he plans to decipher fact from fiction all while preserving the integrity of Ocean Isle.

A combination of extrovert, savant and free spirit, Spaugh has an insatiable enthusiasm for Ocean Isle Beach. Its sand and surf riveted his attention while growing up in the 80s and 90s when his family drove from Trinity, North Carolina, and rented a house on OIB for a week every year.

The Museum’s Sandbar Lecture Series is designed to inspire curiosity about regional history, coastal ecosystems and diverse wildlife. Local subject matter experts facilitate lively and interactive presentations about various fascinating topics for all visitors.

All one-hour Sandbar lectures are free with Museum admission: $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $8 for children ages 3-12.